In the realm of mascots, there are few as recognizable as Ronald McDonald and his crew of burger-loving fanatics. While the clown himself is the most easily connected to McDonald‘s golden arches, his oddball bestie, Grimace, has just as passionate of a fan following — even if his fans aren’t quite sure what the burger munching purple fuzzball actually is. Since his debut in 1972, Grimace has toed the line between lovable beastie and frightening nightmare creature, and some restaurant goers may be surprised to learn that his off-putting design was entirely by choice and that the Grimace we now know and love is just a friendly shadow of his former self.
Who is Grimace?
The loveable purple biped has come a long way since his conception in 1972. The ’70s were a wild time for everyone, and the McDonald’s mascot was no exception. When he made his first onscreen appearance he was “Evil Grimace,” a four-armed, hamburger-thieving miscreant who regularly clashed with Ronald McDonald himself. In the sepia-toned world of “McDonald Land,” Grimace was more turd than blob, and spoke with a cartoonish New York accent (much like his later iterations) all while going out of his way to be a mild menace to restaurant-goers everywhere. Just like his counterpart, The Hamburgler, Grimace was designed to be a cartoonish villain, but the rotund beastie missed the mark of lovable bad guy and fell straight into the camp of masklophobia, the fear of mascots.
Roy T. Bergold Jr. — one of McDonald’s vice-presidents of programming — told QSR in 2012 that, “The original grimace was scaly, mean-looking, had four arms, and had no charm whatsoever.” He admitted that the mascot scared smaller children enough that McDonald’s quickly reimagined the character in an effort to make him more approachable and less like nightmare fuel.
The company shifted his design to the “soft, plush, two-armed blob of a sweetheart who only wanted McDonald’s milkshakes and to hang out with Ronald” that patrons are familiar with today. Grimace went from reviled cup thief to squishy burger-lover in the heart of Ronald McDonald’s inner circle overnight. But understanding the heart of the fluffy burger-obsessed creature is just the beginning. The debate about what Grimace actually is has been much more contentious than what he stands for.
What is Grimace?
The debate on what Grimace is has raged in the 21st century. Fans have dedicated page after page to the mascot— he’s even permeated modern slang. For years McDonald’s has insisted that the purple puppet was the embodiment of a milkshake. Like most rational people, the sentiment that a 6-foot-tall purple person covered in fine fuzz could be a milkshake should have rattled you to the core. There is no universe in which that creature could possibly be food. Nonetheless, McDonald’s has released a Grimace Milkshake to honor their beloved mascot, which consists of Vanilla soft serve and berry flavors to give it that perfect purple hue.
Despite their blatant endorsement of the Milkshake theory, McDonald’s recently agreed with Canadian Manager, Brian Bates, who unequivocally declared the mascot, “an enormous taste bud, but a taste bud nonetheless.”
The official McDonalds Twitter account endorsed this claim, saying, “Whether he’s a taste bud, a milkshake or just your favorite purple blob – the best part about Grimace is that he means different things to different people. Whatever he is, we’re just proud our bestie makes people happy.”
It does seem odd to link tastebuds with the word “grimace” when it comes to selling food — so, while it may be standing behind the tastebud theory for now — it sounds like McDonalds is secretly waiting for the perfect answer to what Grimace actually is to fall into its lap. But that is the glory in making a creature like Grimace, or even the Philadelphia Flyers mascot, Gritty. It’s the sheer mystery of these otherworldly creatures that keeps fan attention.